RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as temozolomide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy is more effective than temozolomide in treating gliomas.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying radiation therapy to see how well it works compared to temozolomide in treating patients with gliomas.